November 25, 2025
11 min read
Junior Cloud Engineer Azure Interview Questions: Complete Guide
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Milad Bonakdar
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Master essential Azure fundamentals with comprehensive interview questions covering Virtual Machines, Storage, Virtual Networks, RBAC, and core cloud concepts for junior cloud engineer roles.
Introduction
Microsoft Azure is a comprehensive cloud platform offering 200+ services for compute, storage, networking, databases, and more. As a junior Azure cloud engineer, you'll need foundational knowledge of core Azure services and cloud concepts to build and manage cloud infrastructure.
This guide covers essential interview questions for junior Azure cloud engineers, focusing on Virtual Machines, Storage, Virtual Networks, and identity management.
Azure Virtual Machines
1. What is an Azure Virtual Machine and when should you use it?
Answer: Azure VM is an on-demand, scalable computing resource in the cloud.
Use Cases:
- Web hosting and applications
- Development and test environments
- Extending on-premises infrastructure
- Running legacy applications
- Batch processing
VM Components:
- Compute: CPU and memory
- Storage: OS disk, data disks
- Networking: Virtual network, public/private IP
- Management: Resource group, availability set
# Create VM using Azure CLI
az vm create \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--name myVM \
--image UbuntuLTS \
--size Standard_B2s \
--admin-username azureuser \
--generate-ssh-keys
# List VMs
az vm list --output table
# Start/Stop VM
az vm start --name myVM --resource-group myResourceGroup
az vm stop --name myVM --resource-group myResourceGroupRarity: Very Common
Difficulty: Easy
2. Explain Availability Sets vs Availability Zones.
Answer:
Availability Sets:
- Logical grouping within a datacenter
- Protects against hardware failures
- 99.95% SLA
- Free to use
- Update domains and fault domains
Availability Zones:
- Physically separate datacenters within a region
- Protects against datacenter failures
- 99.99% SLA
- May incur data transfer costs
- Higher availability
Loading diagram...
When to use:
- Availability Sets: Cost-effective, single-datacenter protection
- Availability Zones: Mission-critical, multi-datacenter protection
Rarity: Common
Difficulty: Medium
Azure Storage
3. What are the different types of Azure Storage?
Answer: Azure Storage provides four main services:
1. Blob Storage:
- Object storage for unstructured data
- Images, videos, backups, logs
- Access tiers: Hot, Cool, Archive
2. File Storage:
- Fully managed file shares (SMB protocol)
- Lift-and-shift scenarios
- Shared application data
3. Queue Storage:
- Message queue for async processing
- Decouple application components
4. Table Storage:
- NoSQL key-value store
- Structured non-relational data
# Create storage account
az storage account create \
--name mystorageaccount \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--location eastus \
--sku Standard_LRS
# Upload blob
az storage blob upload \
--account-name mystorageaccount \
--container-name mycontainer \
--name myblob.txt \
--file ./local-file.txt
# List blobs
az storage blob list \
--account-name mystorageaccount \
--container-name mycontainer \
--output tableRarity: Very Common
Difficulty: Easy-Medium
Azure Networking
4. What is an Azure Virtual Network (VNet)?
Answer: VNet is a logically isolated network in Azure.
Key Components:
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Features:
- Subnets: Segment VNet into smaller networks
- NSGs: Network security groups (firewall rules)
- Service Endpoints: Secure access to Azure services
- VNet Peering: Connect VNets privately
- VPN Gateway: Connect to on-premises
# Create VNet
az network vnet create \
--name myVNet \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--address-prefix 10.0.0.0/16 \
--subnet-name mySubnet \
--subnet-prefix 10.0.1.0/24
# Create NSG
az network nsg create \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--name myNSG
# Add NSG rule (allow HTTP)
az network nsg rule create \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--nsg-name myNSG \
--name AllowHTTP \
--priority 100 \
--source-address-prefixes '*' \
--destination-port-ranges 80 \
--access Allow \
--protocol TcpRarity: Very Common
Difficulty: Medium
5. What is a Network Security Group (NSG)?
Answer: NSG is a network-level firewall that filters traffic.
Features:
- Inbound and outbound rules
- Priority-based (100-4096, lower = higher priority)
- Allow or deny traffic
- Applied to subnets or NICs
Default Rules:
- Allow VNet traffic
- Allow Azure Load Balancer
- Deny all other inbound
- Allow all outbound
# Create NSG rule (allow SSH from specific IP)
az network nsg rule create \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--nsg-name myNSG \
--name AllowSSH \
--priority 110 \
--source-address-prefixes 203.0.113.0/24 \
--destination-port-ranges 22 \
--access Allow \
--protocol Tcp \
--direction Inbound
# Associate NSG with subnet
az network vnet subnet update \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--vnet-name myVNet \
--name mySubnet \
--network-security-group myNSGRarity: Very Common
Difficulty: Easy-Medium
Identity & Access Management
6. What is Azure Active Directory (Azure AD)?
Answer: Azure AD is Microsoft's cloud-based identity and access management service.
Key Features:
- Single sign-on (SSO)
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
- Application management
- Device management
- B2B and B2C scenarios
Components:
- Users: Individual identities
- Groups: Collections of users
- Applications: Registered apps
- Roles: Permission sets
Rarity: Common
Difficulty: Easy
7. Explain Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) in Azure.
Answer: RBAC manages access to Azure resources.
Built-in Roles:
- Owner: Full access including access management
- Contributor: Create and manage resources (no access management)
- Reader: View resources only
- User Access Administrator: Manage user access
Scope Levels:
- Management Group
- Subscription
- Resource Group
- Resource
# Assign role to user
az role assignment create \
--assignee user@example.com \
--role "Virtual Machine Contributor" \
--resource-group myResourceGroup
# List role assignments
az role assignment list \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--output table
# Create custom role
az role definition create \
--role-definition '{
"Name": "Custom VM Operator",
"Description": "Can start and stop VMs",
"Actions": [
"Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/start/action",
"Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/powerOff/action"
],
"AssignableScopes": ["/subscriptions/{subscription-id}"]
}'Rarity: Very Common
Difficulty: Medium
Azure Core Concepts
8. What are Azure Resource Groups?
Answer: Resource Group is a logical container for Azure resources.
Characteristics:
- All resources must be in a resource group
- Resources can only be in one resource group
- Resources can be moved between groups
- Groups can span regions
- Deleting a group deletes all resources
Best Practices:
- Group by lifecycle (dev, test, prod)
- Group by application
- Apply tags for organization
- Use consistent naming conventions
# Create resource group
az group create \
--name myResourceGroup \
--location eastus \
--tags Environment=Production Application=WebApp
# List resources in group
az resource list \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--output table
# Delete resource group (and all resources)
az group delete \
--name myResourceGroup \
--yes --no-waitRarity: Very Common
Difficulty: Easy
Azure App Services
9. What is Azure App Service and when should you use it?
Answer: Azure App Service is a fully managed platform for building web apps, mobile backends, and RESTful APIs.
Key Features:
- Built-in auto-scaling
- Continuous deployment (CI/CD)
- Multiple language support (NET, Java, Node.js, Python, PHP)
- Custom domains and SSL
- Deployment slots for staging
App Service Plans:
| Tier | Use Case | Features | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Development/testing | Shared infrastructure | Free |
| Shared | Low-traffic apps | Shared infrastructure | Very low |
| Basic | Dev/test | Dedicated VMs, manual scale | Low |
| Standard | Production | Auto-scale, staging slots | Medium |
| Premium | Enterprise | Enhanced performance, VNet | High |
# Create App Service plan
az appservice plan create \
--name myAppServicePlan \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--sku B1 \
--is-linux
# Create web app
az webapp create \
--name myWebApp \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--plan myAppServicePlan \
--runtime "NODE|14-lts"
# Deploy from GitHub
az webapp deployment source config \
--name myWebApp \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--repo-url https://github.com/user/repo \
--branch main \
--manual-integration
# Configure app settings
az webapp config appsettings set \
--name myWebApp \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--settings DATABASE_URL="..." API_KEY="..."
# Create deployment slot
az webapp deployment slot create \
--name myWebApp \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--slot staging
# Swap slots (staging to production)
az webapp deployment slot swap \
--name myWebApp \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--slot stagingWhen to Use:
- Web applications and APIs
- Mobile app backends
- Microservices
- Need managed infrastructure
- Want built-in DevOps integration
vs Virtual Machines:
- App Service: PaaS, managed, easier, less control
- VMs: IaaS, full control, more complex
Rarity: Very Common
Difficulty: Easy-Medium
10. Explain Azure Managed Disks and their types.
Answer: Managed Disks are block-level storage volumes managed by Azure.
Disk Types:
| Type | Performance | IOPS | Throughput | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultra Disk | Highest | Up to 160K | Up to 2000 MB/s | IO-intensive workloads |
| Premium SSD | High | Up to 20K | Up to 900 MB/s | Production workloads |
| Standard SSD | Moderate | Up to 6K | Up to 750 MB/s | Web servers, dev/test |
| Standard HDD | Basic | Up to 2K | Up to 500 MB/s | Backups, infrequent access |
# Create managed disk
az disk create \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--name myDataDisk \
--size-gb 128 \
--sku Premium_LRS
# Attach disk to VM
az vm disk attach \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--vm-name myVM \
--name myDataDisk
# Create snapshot
az snapshot create \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--name mySnapshot \
--source myDataDisk
# Create disk from snapshot
az disk create \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--name myRestoredDisk \
--source mySnapshot
# Resize disk
az disk update \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--name myDataDisk \
--size-gb 256Managed vs Unmanaged:
Managed Disks:
- Azure manages storage accounts
- Simplified management
- Better availability (99.999% SLA)
- Easier scaling
- Snapshot and backup support
Unmanaged Disks (legacy):
- You manage storage accounts
- Manual scaling limits
- Lower SLA
- More complex
Best Practices:
- Use Premium SSD for production databases
- Use Standard SSD for web servers
- Enable encryption at rest
- Regular snapshots for backups
- Use availability zones for critical workloads
Rarity: Common
Difficulty: Easy-Medium
Monitoring & Management
11. What is Azure Monitor and how do you use it?
Answer: Azure Monitor collects, analyzes, and acts on telemetry from Azure and on-premises environments.
Key Components:
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1. Metrics:
# View VM metrics
az monitor metrics list \
--resource /subscriptions/.../resourceGroups/myRG/providers/Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/myVM \
--metric "Percentage CPU" \
--start-time 2024-11-26T00:00:00Z \
--end-time 2024-11-26T23:59:59Z
# Create metric alert
az monitor metrics alert create \
--name high-cpu-alert \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--scopes /subscriptions/.../resourceGroups/myRG/providers/Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/myVM \
--condition "avg Percentage CPU > 80" \
--window-size 5m \
--evaluation-frequency 1m \
--action /subscriptions/.../resourceGroups/myRG/providers/microsoft.insights/actionGroups/myActionGroup2. Log Analytics:
# Create Log Analytics workspace
az monitor log-analytics workspace create \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--workspace-name myWorkspace \
--location eastus
# Query logs (KQL - Kusto Query Language)
az monitor log-analytics query \
--workspace myWorkspace \
--analytics-query "AzureActivity | where TimeGenerated > ago(1h) | summarize count() by OperationName"Common KQL Queries:
// Failed login attempts
SigninLogs
| where TimeGenerated > ago(24h)
| where ResultType != 0
| summarize FailedAttempts = count() by UserPrincipalName
| order by FailedAttempts desc
// VM performance
Perf
| where TimeGenerated > ago(1h)
| where ObjectName == "Processor" and CounterName == "% Processor Time"
| summarize avg(CounterValue) by Computer
| order by avg_CounterValue desc
// Application errors
AppExceptions
| where TimeGenerated > ago(24h)
| summarize ErrorCount = count() by ProblemId, OuterMessage
| order by ErrorCount desc3. Application Insights:
# Create Application Insights
az monitor app-insights component create \
--app myAppInsights \
--location eastus \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--application-type web
# Get instrumentation key
az monitor app-insights component show \
--app myAppInsights \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--query instrumentationKeyApplication Insights in Code:
// Node.js example
const appInsights = require('applicationinsights');
appInsights.setup('YOUR_INSTRUMENTATION_KEY')
.setAutoDependencyCorrelation(true)
.setAutoCollectRequests(true)
.setAutoCollectPerformance(true)
.setAutoCollectExceptions(true)
.setAutoCollectDependencies(true)
.start();
const client = appInsights.defaultClient;
// Track custom event
client.trackEvent({name: "UserLogin", properties: {userId: "123"}});
// Track custom metric
client.trackMetric({name: "ProcessingTime", value: 150});4. Action Groups:
# Create action group (email notification)
az monitor action-group create \
--name myActionGroup \
--resource-group myResourceGroup \
--short-name myAG \
--email-receiver name=AdminEmail address=admin@example.comMonitoring Best Practices:
- Set up alerts for critical metrics
- Use Log Analytics for centralized logging
- Create dashboards for quick overview
- Enable diagnostic settings for all resources
- Use Application Insights for application monitoring
Rarity: Very Common
Difficulty: Medium
Conclusion
Preparing for a junior Azure cloud engineer interview requires understanding core services and cloud concepts. Focus on:
- Virtual Machines: Availability sets/zones, sizing, management
- Storage: Blob, File, Queue, Table storage types
- Networking: VNets, subnets, NSGs, connectivity
- Identity: Azure AD, RBAC, access management
- Core Concepts: Resource groups, regions, subscriptions
Practice using the Azure Portal and Azure CLI to gain hands-on experience. Good luck!
